Northern Lithium Feasibility Study at Ludwell Farm, Weardale, Co. Durham

北方锂公司(NLI)希望证明其经济理由，即在未来5-8年内投资超过1.2亿GB，在英格兰东北部建立从卤水中大规模提锂、加工和供应的设施。我们计划在Weardale，Co.Durham部署现代和创新技术，为该地区和整个英国的巨型工厂释放可持续的国内电池级锂供应。这项投资对建立英国电动汽车(EV)供应链至关重要，预计到2035年，英国的锂需求将增加到每年75,000吨。NLi已经获得了Weardale 185平方公里区域内的采矿权、关键的土地访问权、为预可行性工作提供资金的外部投资以及可行性钻探计划所需的规划和环境局(EA)许可。我们的经济可行性研究将通过在Weardale花岗岩中钻一个700米的勘探钻孔并提取热盐水来分析和确定锂的含量、浓度和流量。这一分析将使NLI能够就是否建立大规模锂制造企业编制一个随时可供决策的商业案例。UKRI和APC的拨款是进行研究的关键。如果这项可行性研究证明投资的经济理由是合理的，NLI准备开发10个生产地点，每个生产地点包括一个开采和一个回注井眼。我们将在第一个地点安装一个中试加工厂，从卤水中提取锂，并生产电池级碳酸锂当量(LCE)，以在现场验证该技术，然后推广到其他地点。初步生产可能在2-3年内开始。从2026年开始，NLI的目标是每年供应约10,000吨LCE。对英国电动汽车电池制造商来说--预计到2035年占英国总需求的13%。目前生产的大部分锂来自中国、南美和澳大利亚。作为一种关键矿物，这带来了供应安全风险，以及物流和环境成本。NLI将提供一种更可持续和对环境负责的锂来源-通过将耗尽的锂流体重新注入花岗岩中，我们的提取过程被设计为尽可能闭合循环。在可行性研究之后，NLI可以推进与开发东北地区电动汽车电池供应链能力的潜在商业合作伙伴的讨论。NLI得到了当地、区域和国家利益攸关方的大力支持，并被东北LEP选为发展项目。

Northern Lithium (NLi) wants to prove the economic case to invest more than £120m over the next 5-8 years to establish large-scale lithium extraction from brines, processing and supply in the North East of England. We plan to deploy modern and innovative techniques in Weardale, Co. Durham to unlock a sustainable domestic supply of battery-grade lithium for Gigafactories in the region and across the UK. This investment is crucial to building a UK electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, with the UK's lithium demand expected to increase to 75,000 tonnes per year by 2035\.NLi has already secured mineral rights within a 185 sq km area of Weardale, key land access rights, external investment to fund the pre-feasibility work and the necessary planning and Environment Agency (EA) permits for the feasibility drilling programme. Our economic feasibility study will analyse and determine lithium content, concentration and flow rates by drilling a 700m exploration borehole into the Weardale granite and extracting hot saline brines. This analysis will enable NLi to compile a decision-ready business case on whether to establish large scale lithium manufacturing. Grant funding from UKRI and APC is pivotal to proceeding with the study.If this feasibility study justifies the economic case for investment, NLi is ready to develop 10 production sites, each comprising one extraction and one re-injection borehole. We will install a pilot processing plant to extract lithium from the brines and produce battery grade lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at the first site to prove the technology in situ before rolling out to other sites. Initial production could start within 2-3 years. From 2026, NLi aims to supply around 10,000 tonnes LCE p.a. to the UK EV battery manufacturers -- 13% of the total UK demand expected by 2035\.The majority of lithium produced today comes from China, South America and Australia. As a critical mineral, this carries security of supply risks, alongside logistical and environmental costs. NLi will provide a more sustainable and environmentally responsible source of lithium -- our extraction process is designed to be as closed loop as possible by re-injecting lithium depleted fluids into the granite.Following the feasibility study, NLi can advance discussions with potential commercial partners developing the North East's EV battery supply chain capabilities. NLi has strong support from local, regional and national stakeholders, and has been selected as a Development Project by the North East LEP.